Combined steam and combustion gas power plant



Nov. 3, 1931. H. HOLZWARTH COEBINED STEAM AND COMBUSTION GAS POWER PLANTFiled Oct. 2, 1926 mv NTOR l /gms OLZWHIZTI/ ATTORNEYS Patented Nov; 3,1931 f mm STATES PATENT OFFICE nAivs HOLZWARTH; F DUSSELDORF, GERMANY,ASSIGNOR 'ro HOLZWARTH GAS TUR-BINE'CQ, oF-sAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ACORPORATION OF DELAWARE COMBINED STEAM AND COMBUSTION GAS POWER PLANT UMyzpresent invention relates to power plants utilizing both steam andexplosion gases as the driving medium, and has for its object to derivethe heat required for the generation of steam, solely from the explosiongases serving as a power medium. so as to avoid the use of any separatesteam boiler furnace. In the preferred formotmy invention, power isdeveloped in three stages,

the high pressure stage usingjets of explosion gases as a drivingmedium, the latter also serving to heat the steam which ison its way tothe intermediate pressure stage; this s eam may also exert a drivingaction in the 16' high pressure stage, or it may pass therethroughsimply to absorb heat from the blades and other turbine parts exposed tothe combustion gases. In the intermediate stage, both the explosiongases and the steam (both I coming from the high pressure stage) exert adriving action, and the steam again absorbs heat from the combustiongases by way of the turbine blades. It will thus be seen that in thehigh pressure stage and in the intermedi- 2 ate pressure stage, .thesteam will exert a cooling action on the engine parts heated by thecombustion gases. In the low pressure stage, I generally employ a singledriving fluid, which is the steam exhausting from the 80 intermediatepressure stage.

combustion gases exhausting from one of the gas turbine stages isutilized to generate steam for the high pressure s age.

An arrangement suitable for carrying out my present invention isillustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a somewhatdiagrammatic general view,

with parts, in section, and Fig. 2a view through the intermedia eturbine between a steam nozzle and its associated catch nozzle.

Air and fuel are supplied under pressure at regular intervals to one ormore explosion chambers 10. which, as shownin Fig. 1 of the drawings,are provided'with inlet valves at the right thereof for intermittentlycharging thereinto mixtures of such air. and fuel, as disclosed morefully in my United States Patent No. 877 ,194. After ignition has beeneffected in any suitable manner, the explosion gases are allowed (uponthe opening of ap- The heat of the 1 Application filed October 2, 1926.Serial No. 139,173.

propriate valves 11) to pass tocombustion gas nozzles discharging jetsagainst the blades 12 of a high pressure rotor 13. Against these bladesis also discharged steam issuing from nozzles 14,'and after passingthrough the rotor 13, this steam is collected by catch nozzles 15. Thepressure of this steam may be sufiicient to exert an auxiliary drivingaction on the high pressure rotor 13, or the steam may have for its solefunction (so far as the high pressure stage is concerned) to absorb heatfrom this stage and cool it, particularly the rotor blades 12. In anyevent, however, the steam thus heated in the high pressure stage has asufficient pressure to exert a driving action on the intermediatepressure turbine. to the steam nozzles 16 of which it passes from thecatch nozzles 15 through a suitable conduit 17. The rotor 18 of theintermediate stage is driven by'the steam issuing from the nozzles 16and also by the exhaust combustion gases issuing from nozzles 19 towhich they are conveyed by a conduit 20 from the exhaust chamber 21 ofthe high pressure stage. From the intermediate pressure stage, thesteam, collected by catch nozzles 22, passes through a pipe 23 to a lowpressure steam turbine 24 and then to a condenser 25. The combustiongases exhausting from the intermediate pressure turbine pass through apipe 26 to a casing 27 and then out to the atmosphere. In the casing 27is arranged a boiler or container 28 for water from which steam isgenerated by the heat of the exhaust gases, such steam being thenconveyed by a conduit 29 to the nozzles 14 of the high pressure stage.

It will be clear from the above that no separate furnace or source ofheat is required for the generation of steam for cooling purposes, as Ihave found that the heat of the exhaust explosion gases suffices forthis purpose.

Various changes in the specific forms shown and described may be made wihin the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

I claim:

.1. A power plant comprising a plurality of explosion chambers adaptedto be intermittently charged with an explosive mixture for explosiontherein, a high pressure turbine having nozzles for high pressure steamand high" pressure combustion gases respectively, -sa1d gas nozzlesbeing connected to said explosion chambers to receive therefromintermittent j ets of explosion gases, means for colletting separatelythe steam and the explosion gasesexhausting from said explosion turbine,said gases exhausting at a pressure above atmospheric, a second turbinelikewise having steam nozzles and combustion gas nozzles, such nozzlesreceiving their supply from the exhaust of the high, pressure turbine,the

gases exhausting from said second turbine at substantially atmosphericpressure, a steam boiler arranged in the path of the gases exs haustingfrom one of said turbines andheated exclusively by said gases, therebeingno additional source of heat devoted to the generation of steam,and conduits for conveying the steam produced in said boiler to thesteam nozzles ofsaid high pressure turbine, the ases exhausting from thesecond turbine hei steam from said high pressure turbine to the steamnozzle of the intermediate pressure turbine, the latter having separateoutlets forexhaust steam and exhaust combustion gases respectively, alow pressure condensing tur-v bine receiving its motive steam from thesteam outlet of said intermediate pressure multi-stage turbine, a steamboiler heated by the exhaust combustion gases from said intermediatepressure turbine, and having an outlet to discharge the said gases intothe atmosphere, and a conduit for conveying the. steam generated in suchboiler to the steam nozzle of the high pressure turbine.

In testimony whereof I' have hereunto set m hand..

y HANS 'HOLZWARTH.

ng ultimately discharged into the atmosphere without being caused. toperform additional mechanical work.

2. A power plant as set forth in claim 1 including a low pressure steamturbinereceiving its motive steam from the exhaust of thesecond-mentioned turbine.

3. A power plant comprising a high pressure turbine with'nozzlesfor highpressure steamand high pressure combustion gases respectively and meansfor collecting separately the exhaust steam and the exhaust combustiongases, an intermediate multi-stage turbine likewise having steam nozzlesand combustion gas nozzles, such nozzles receiving their supply from theexhaust of the high pressure turbine, a low pressure condensing steamturbinereceivmg its motlve steam fromthe exhaust ofsaidintermediatemulti-stage turbine,

a nozzle for high pressure steam, another nozzle connected with saidoutlet to receive high pressure combustion gases from said explosionchamber Whenever said valve is open, and a rotor in operative relationto said nozzles; a collectorto receive the successive jets ofcombustiongasesissuing from said rotor,

an intermediate pressure multi-stage turbine having a steam nozzle and acombustion gas nozzle, a connection from said collector to thecombustion gas nozzle of said intermediate turbine, another connectionto convey exhaust

